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Hahahahaha wow. Man I don't even know what to say about this. Okay basic run down: this book's got two primary narrators: Richard St. Vier and Michael Godwin. Everyone wants a piece of St. Vier because he's the most badass swordsman ever to exist and apparently stabbing people is an acceptable way to resolve conflicts in this world so long as you outsource the job. Michael Godwin is a doof with a talent for ruining his own life. Lucky for him he is rich good looking doof who catches the eye of one of the book's power players and consequently retains both his life and a purpose. Good things comes to those who are privileged?

Yeah so let's talk about St. Vier. I was pretty down with this guy. Swordfighting, competence, not a huge talker, all good things in my book. This affinity lasted for about as long as it took me to catch on to the fact that Richard St. Vier is a psychopath.

Maybe you're shaking your head at me right now, like girl he kills people for a living, you're surprised that his moral compass isn't properly functioning? To which I say shut up okay, fantasy is chock full of morally ambivalent swordsmen who lean towards good, how was I to know? Everything was proceeding normally, people were doing the usual ooh Mr. St. Vier routine and then this friend of his is like (view spoiler)[yeah that Richard, anyone remember that old girlfriend of his? Temperamental girl she was, pity Richard's temper was of the deadly variety. And the story just kept going on like normal while I was stuck boggling at the bit where our hero figure murdered his last girlfriend because he got mad at her.



Later on a noble kidnaps his boyfriend to blackmail him into doing a job for him. Ain't no one who blackmails Richard St. Vier so once he returns him St. Vier takes the calm proportional response of murdering his henchmen and sneaking into his house to cut him into pieces as he begs. Here, why don't I let Richard tell you about it:

First he silenced him, and then he took, very slowly, the life from the four corners of his body, being careful not to render him unrecognizable. Richard never spoke, although the man's wild eyes begged him for it while they could.

(hide spoiler)]

Richard St. Vier, ladies and gentlemen. Quiet. Good with a sword. Terrifyingly out of his gourd.

His boyfriend doesn't get much POV so let's just say he's an enabler who I never got very attached to. Tbh, I don't know why Richard was either.

Michael's narrative on the other hand skates its way between hilarious and alienating. I'm pretty sure I don't like the guy? But occasionally I'll waver when I spend a half minute laughing over a scene where he literally just looks at himself in the mirror and considers how amazingly hot he is, like if that guy in the mirror was a stranger he'd definitely hit it.

Other highlights of his story include the time he made out with his mom's friend because he found out the married woman he was having an affair with was using him to get pregnant. How dare you Olivia! Does this mean I could have been just any man? At least Horn wants me for my body!

(This is promptly followed by him noticing he's old and retreating in horror. Yet further proof of the injustice he's been dealt:

Olivia had thrust him into the arms of this revolting stranger

)

Oh Michael. All these people around you just forcing you into poor choices. You're a good looking member of the aristocracy, they expect you to take responsibility for your actions too?



You can really tell Kushner improved between writing this and The Privilege of the Sword. Katherine was interesting and likeable and the text capable of correctly identifying her flaws. Swordspoint has the same competent plotting and open minded view to sexuality but it's difficult to appreciate when you're busy trying to work out if the author's aware she's written a book where at least two of the 'heroic' characters are psychopaths. 3 stars

(You could argue that Swordspoint is meant to have no heroes and the cast is deliberately all signalled as amoral but I'd like to point out that the Duchess, a character Kushner spends a great deal of time informing us one of the most intelligent and observant people in the novel, says that Alec's big problem is he's an idealist who believes in equality. I have to wonder where that sense of justice expressed itself all those times he deliberately provoked people so Richard would kill them for him but okay. Maybe idealism means something different in the Riverside! Or maybe this book does not have a handle on its characters and is trying to maintain a heroes vs. villains narrative while simultaneously glorying in a dark fantasy aesthetic that leaves it feeling like a confused contradictory mess. )